Modern Furniture
The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw sweeping social change and major scientific advances — both of which contributed to a new aesthetic: modernism. Rejecting the rigidity of Victorian artistic conventions, modernists sought a new means of expression. References to the natural world and ornate classical embellishments gave way to the sleek simplicity of the Machine Age. Architect Philip Johnson characterized the hallmarks of modernism as “machine-like simplicity, smoothness or surface [and] avoidance of ornament.”
Early practitioners of modernist design include the De Stijl (“The Style”) group, founded in the Netherlands in 1917, and the Bauhaus School, founded two years later in Germany.
Followers of both groups produced sleek, spare designs — many of which became icons of daily life in the 20th century. The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics. While Bauhaus principals Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created furniture from mass-produced, chrome-plated steel, American visionaries like Charles and Ray Eames worked in materials as novel as molded plywood and fiberglass. Today, Breuer’s Wassily chair, Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair — crafted with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich — and the Eames lounge chair are emblems of progressive design and vintage originals are prized cornerstones of collections.
It’s difficult to overstate the influence that modernism continues to wield over designers and architects — and equally difficult to overstate how revolutionary it was when it first appeared a century ago. But because modernist furniture designs are so simple, they can blend in seamlessly with just about any type of décor. Don’t overlook them.
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Marble
1990s Swiss Modern Furniture
Plastic
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble, Gold, Stainless Steel
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Pottery
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
1980s American Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
Late 20th Century American Modern Furniture
Goatskin, Wood
1970s Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Aluminum
1970s Vintage Modern Furniture
Rattan
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Furniture
Plaster
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass, Steel
1960s Finnish Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass
1950s Swedish Vintage Modern Furniture
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Oak
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Cotton
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Cut Glass
2010s German Modern Furniture
Ash, Cherry, Oak, Walnut, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fur
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Cotton, Polyester
1980s Vintage Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
2010s American Modern Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Porcelain
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Furniture
Textile, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Cotton, Linen
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Furniture
Steel, Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Furniture
Linen
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Oak, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Cotton, Linen
2010s Japanese Modern Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Furniture
Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Furniture
Linen
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Furniture
Linen
2010s American Modern Furniture
Walnut, Wenge
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Cotton, Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Furniture
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Linen
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Furniture
Hide, Ash
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Brass